Harsh reality strengthens partnership

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jacob Morgan
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Adrenaline is pumping through Airman 1st Class Damien Taylor's veins and sweat is dripping down his face as he holds the shoulder of the man in front of him. A two-man team of security forces members line up on a wall ready to clear a room.

An active shooter has entered Carpenter Hall at Wesley College and the 436th Security Forces Squadron from Dover Air Force Base, Del., has entered the building with one mission -- go directly to the shooter and take him out.

As the back-up man taps the shoulder of the front man, they enter the room sweeping from right to left and firing rounds into the back left corner of the room.

Fortunately, the active shooter is just a green paper human cut-out and the rounds fired are simulated paint-ball like bullets.

The 436 SFS members joined with the Dover Police Department Special Operations Response Team July 14 in a realistic active-shooter-scenario training day.

The two main reasons for the training are because of an active-shooter threat and to provide continuity between two forces, which could be at the same scene, said Tech. Sgt. David Hess, 436 SFS training noncommissioned officer in charge.

"Active-shooter training is fairly new to the Air Force," said Hess. "Training with the Dover police allows both sides to see how each other operates, which is extremely important."

An active shooter is characterized by someone who enters an area to kill, continually moving from person to person with no specific target.

This threat has spread to military instillations, especially after the incident at Fort Hood, Texas, and other incidents around the nation. The Air Force has changed its procedures and training to meet the new threat.

However, it is hard to train at buildings on base because they are actively being used to complete the mission, said Hess. Ray Lorah, 436 SFS trainer, came up with a plan to incorporate the new procedures and training at a location able to host the event.

Carpenter Hall at Wesley College was currently being renovated and Lorah contacted the Wesley College security staff as well as the Dover Police Department to share the joint training idea. Both organizations bought the idea and the planning began.

Dover AFB is split into multiple jurisdictions when it comes to which department responds to where. Base housing is the jurisdiction of the Dover State Police and some other areas of Dover AFB are in the jurisdiction of the Dover Police Department.

When the training began, both sides started to learn it is important to understand each others' force on a strategic level as well as a tactical level. Both teams learned little bits from each other.

For instance, both the Dover S.O.R.T. and 436 SFS, in the event of an active shooter on base, would respond. Each unit has protocol to entering the building, but they are almost identical. However, the smallest differences could create problems at the scene of the incident.

The Dover S.O.R.T. practices crisis situations such as active-shooter training regularly, said Sergeant Jack Fortney, Dover Police Department S.O.R.T. team leader. On the tactical level there are differences between the two teams, but in a crisis situation they both need to know how to work together.

Airman 1st Class Damien Taylor, 436 SFS patrolman, said he had previous knowledge of active-shooter situations in technical school and in Military Operations and Urban Terrain training.

"This is my first encounter with active-shooter training at Dover Air Force Base," said Taylor. "Watching the Dover S.O.R.T. helped me realize the importance of muscle memory and communication."

Fortney said the exercise helped the Dover S.O.R.T. realize there is a need for the joint training.

"We may respond to the base in some instances," said Fortney. "We don't want to go in blind in a possible joint scenario."

Both sides look forward to more joint training in the future to increase the amount of training and to work together as often as possible.

"Future training is in the works on a variety of different scenarios," said Hess. "These training exercises will help us work together and build a bridge between the two agencies."